Welcome, friends, to another
broadcast of Morsels for Zion's Poor. It is very common to hear
the exclamation, My God, used as a term of amazement or to
emphasize one's exasperation. This is an awful expression which
should not be used by the men of this world, let alone the
children of God. The other day I overheard a conversation
in which a lady made the statement that she believed in her God.
I do not want to judge what this lady meant by their statement,
but I do know that many religious people call God their God as
if He were their dog, their house, or some other possession over
which they have control. Only when a person is introduced
to the true and living God does such an idea seem preposterous.
Nebuchadnezzar learned this fact and exclaimed, and all the inhabitants
of the earth are reputed as nothing, and he doeth according to his
will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the
earth, and none can stay his hand or say unto him, what doest
thou? Job had a similar experience
that taught him who God really is. Once we become acquainted
with him, we learn that he is not always at our beck and call,
even though our love for him is real, and his love for his
people is without measure. Sometimes we pray, but we have
no answer. Sometimes we worship, but we
do not feel his approval. Sometimes we praise, but it seems
like such a motion of the flesh. We are sometimes longing for
his leadership, but we receive none. Sometimes we want to be
used by him for his kingdom's sake, but we wander aimlessly
and bear no fruit. His devotion to us never falters
and never fails, but sometimes he removes himself from us so
that we can learn to value that devotion. What causes the Lord
to hide himself from us? Number one, to teach us to set
our affections on things above. One of the Ten Commandments is,
Thou shalt have no other gods before me. This is indicative
of the singleness of mind which the Lord expects from his people.
Now that we are no longer under the curse of the law, we are
to be even more zealous in not letting things capture our heart.
Number two, to teach us that our love for Him grows cold without
His presence. When we consider all that Christ
has done for us and how much He has devoted to our well-being,
it is a shame that we should ever fail to value that as our
most prized possession. We should never tire of expressing
our love to Him in word and deed. The Lord hides himself from us
to teach us of the hardness of our hearts. The psalmist said,
today if you will hear his voice, harden not your heart. The wicked
are described in the scriptures as those with hardened hearts,
yet it is possible in all too often a reality that those who
know the Lord sometimes turn a deaf ear to his word and spirit.
This behavior is understandable in the unregenerate, but is a
terrible travesty among the redeemed. The Lord sometimes hides Himself
from us to teach us that we are stiff-necked people, reluctant
to follow His teaching. Much of that which the Lord has
taught us is a bitter pill to swallow for our flesh. That we
should pray for our enemies and bless those that persecute us
is a hard example to follow. That we should leave vengeance
unto the Lord is sometimes more than we can bear. We are not
in a position to pick and choose what part of our Lord's teaching
we will follow, but we are given the mind of Christ so that we
should not act like those who disregard the Word of God. The
Lord often hides Himself to teach us that we are often slumbering
when we should be awake. The Lord admonished His disciples
to watch ye and pray that ye enter not into temptation. The
Spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak. We are to be very
diligent in waging war with our adversaries, both within, that
is, our flesh, and without, that is, the powers of darkness, lest
we be overcome. And the Lord often hides himself
to teach us that we take the Lord for granted. We seldom realize
the value of true blessings until we are forced to do without them.
Many times we take the Lord's presence for granted just like
we do the wagging of our dog's tail when we come home. We think
he will always be around whenever we get ready for him or if we
have some pressing need. But the Lord will not become
commonplace to his people. He teaches them to value his
presence just like he values them. He will not be relegated
to the role of co-pilot or be our little helper. He will not
allow us to dictate the terms of our relationship to him. He
will call and we will answer. My sheep hear my voice, and I
know them, and they follow me. And I give unto them eternal
life, and they shall never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them
out of my hand. Have you heard him? For a free
CD containing 15 of these radio broadcasts, send an email to
forthepoor at windstream.net.